fupshuu A brief review for a brief show. 600https://www.animeevo.net/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/Wakakozake01.png As someone with a limited attention span and fulltime job Im often enticed by light anime with episodes under five minutes. They offer the perfect level of commitment and I never run the risk of wasting my time even if the show is ultimately a disappointment. Short anime also appeal to my inner completionist as they can be finished in the same hour that they are started. The one drawback lies in staying power. Even at their best these shorts often fail to leave a lasting impression on me. And thats usually the point. They arent meant to be meaningful works of art but rather brief offerings of mild entertainment. Some good examples of this style belong to Rareko the director responsible for Aggressive Retsuko Gakkatsu and Please Take My Brother Away each of which are five minute comedies. Humor tends to work best in this format and the overwhelming majority of short anime are comedies. However there is one other genre that is just as frequently featured and that is slice of life. Slice of life SoL for the sake of further ease has to be one of the most poorly defined genres within the anime community and thats coming from a fan. What actually qualifies as SoL will vary depending on who you ask. More often than not SoL is used as a poor excuse for otherwise drab and uninspired works. Its almost treated as preemptive defense the shows not boring...its just slice of life. Short form SoL shows especially face an uphill climb. They dont have the benefit of the mere exposure effect to gradually win over the audience. Armed with only its characters and atmosphere the short SoL must ensnare its audience as quickly as possible lest it fall the way of trite and forgettable read: Ameiro Cocoa. At its best however SoL shows can offer a window into the life and passions of another person. In spite of the abundant mediocrity found in this genre I always give these shows the benefit of the doubt because I love learning about people and their interests. Which brings me to the anime Ill be reviewing today... 600https://www.animeevo.net/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/Wakakozake02.png Wakakozake was a delightful surprise. I didnt have high expectations going in for reasons previously stated. All I really wanted was something cute and fun. And while the show definitely lives into those qualities it also managed to speak to me on a personal level to the point where I feel compelled to explain my experience via review. Wakakozake is a two minute 12 episode anime following the titular protagonist as she eats good food and drinks good alcohol. And thats it. Each episode features a new food and drink combination. Meanwhile the audience listens to Wakakos internal monologue as she enjoys her meal by herself. That last part is what makes this show so charming. Wakako is the only named character in the entire anime and its her personal experiences with food that matter most. Each episode begins with her getting off of work giddy as she decides which food to treat herself to. Shes never accompanied by coworkers or friends. Any additional company would only serve to distract her from what is otherwise a very intimate and particular experience. As a brief sidebar Ive never really understood foodies. Perhaps it was the way I was raised but I dont take much joy or interest in food. I eat whatever is presented to me with little complaints. At the same time Im not one to really notice or appreciate the quality of food. At best Im detached from eating. At worst its a source of stress. In contrast Wakako is a true foodie. She gets excited over food and savors the meal. Each bite is planned out matched perfectly to her consumption of alcohol in order to maximize the complimenting tastes. It was genuinely enjoyable to listen to her commentary as she notices things about food that Ive never once considered. For example in the last episode Wakako eats Roasted Ginko Nuts which you must break open with a nutcracker and eat one by one. She remarks that half the enjoyment of eating these nuts comes from breaking them open. Each cracked shell is a little victory youve earned. Moreover the methodical nature of cracking the shell distracts the mind from external stresses. This observation might seem insignificant to some but for me it was genuinely nice listening to Wakako explain her love for food. For her a hard day at work could be instantly erased by fried chicken and beer. And wouldnt it be nice to live in a world that simple? 600https://tokidokigoodish.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/wakakozake.jpg As you may have noticed by now the character of Wakako is just as pleasant as the show itself. She has an adorable albeit odd aesthetic that perfectly matches the tone of the anime. Her lack of eyebrows and fishlike eyes I especially love as they make her reactions to food all the more endearing and goofy. Wakakozakes visuals are of a similar quality to its character design: cute and understated. The backgrounds are particularly nice as each restaurant Wakako goes to has a distinct look and feel depending on the cuisine they serve. The color palette is also very easy on the eyes. And of course as this is a show about eating the actual food itself looks positively delicious. The last thing I wanted to highlight is Miyuki Sawashiros performance as Wakako. Ive always been a big fan of Sawashiro. I would even venture to say that shes my favorite female seiyuu currently working in the industry. In the very least shes one of the most dynamic. Her voice can so easily capture a range of emotion without ever feeling forced. You probably know her as Celty Sturluson from Durarara Suruga Kanbaru from the Monogatari series and Fujiko Mine from some of the newer Lupin material including The Woman Named Fujiko Mine. Personally Ive loved her more eccentric roles as Hanako Koyanagi in Wotakoi and Seo Yuzuki in Gekkan Shoujo Nozakikun as I think she has a real talent for comedic timing. While Wakako is definitely a more lowenergy character she still manages to bring that signature charm in the form of adorable narration and cute noises. Half of the reason why Wakakozake works so well is because of Sawashiros charisma as a voice actor. You really buy in to Wakakos passion for food through her vocal enthusiasm. 600https://pbs.tw.com/media/DVkjlgeVMAIEKjY.jpg I want to keep this review brief because as I stated previously short anime are very low risk investments. If you really want gage the quality of Wakakozake and see if it strikes a similar chord then throw on the first episode and judge it for yourself. Its only two minutes and if by the end you still arent sold then oh well. No harm no foul. My real reason for writing this review was merely to get the word out about this anime. I dont see a lot of people talking about it and thats a shame. Because short as it might be Wakakozake managed to leave a lasting impact on me and shifted eversoslightly the way I regard food. In summary it wont change your life but it might give you something to chew on